Stephen Cummings Porter (April 18, 1934 – February 19, 2015) was an American geologist who taught in the department of Geological Sciences (now called the department of Earth and Space Sciences) and directed the Quaternary Research Center at the University of Washington.
[1][2] Porter was well known for his work in glacial geology, and was a pioneer of the subject, particularly in China, which he visited for fieldwork and conferences more than 30 times over the course of his career.
[2] He also did field work in several many and formerly glaciated areas around the world, including Alaska's Brooks Range, The Italian Alps, Chilean Andes, New Zealand Alps, Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and Hawaii's Big Island.
Among his important contributions was the elucidation of climate record contained in the Loess Plateau sediments of China,[3] and the recognition of the role of volcanism in explaining the cold temperatures of the Little Ice Age[4] Porter was honored for his work with numerous awards, including two awards from the Chinese Academy of Science, and the Kirk Bryan Award from the Geological Society of America.
[5] Porter served as president of both the American Quaternary Association (1992–1994) and the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) (1995–1999), and was an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America and the Arctic Institute of North America.